Recipes for Pancake Day

Biagio Stapane, head chef at San Carlo, has been in touch with a couple of recipes for Shrove Tuesday. If you're bored of the Jif lemon and sugar combo, and want to get creative with your crêpes this year, take a look at his suggestions.

Pancake Day is a big deal in Italy. The days leading up to Shrove Tuesday are a time of merry-making, masquerade processions, singing, dancing, fireworks and outdoor feasts. They call it 'Carnevale' and like every other holiday in Italy, there are traditional foods and 'dolci' (desserts) associated with it.

Biagio has sent us a delicious-sounding recipe for pancakes with chocolate, almonds raspberry coulis and cherry brandy, and one for a savoury pancake featuring courgettes, tomato sauce and pecorino cheese. Pancakes followed by pancakes – yes please.

Sweet pancake

Crespelle con cioccolato mandorlé

Serves four

Ingredients:

350g/12oz plain flour
pinch of salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
½ tsp baking powder
2 free-range eggs
375ml/13fl oz milk
2 tbsp melted butter, plus extra for frying
¼ cup of almonds (optional)
1 tbsp of cocoa

For the raspberry coulis
Raspberries
Caster sugar, to taste
2 tsp cherry brandy (optional)
Icing sugar, to serve

To serve:
Chocolate sauce, raspberries, vanilla ice cream, almonds.

Cooking time: approx 15 minutes

Method:

1. To make the pancake batter, mix the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder together in a large bowl.
2. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs and milk and mix together. Add the melted butter and mix well.
3. For the raspberry coulis, blend the raspberries with enough sugar to sweeten and the cherry brandy (optional). Sieve to remove the pips, if you like.
4. To cook the pancakes, heat a small non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add a little melted butter then add a ladleful of the batter mixture. Cook for one-two minutes until golden, then flip over and cook the other side for about one minute. Place on a warm plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
5. To serve, place a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream sprinkled with almonds on each plate or use as a filling for each pancake and roll up. Pour over the raspberry coulis and dust with icing sugar and cocoa.

Savoury pancake

Crespelle con zucchini

Serves two

Ingredients:

55g/2oz plain flour
pinch of salt
2 free-range eggs
4 tbsp milk
2½ grated courgettes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp grated pecorino cheese

To serve:
Tomato sauce and grated pecorino

For the tomato sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes
splash balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method for tomato sauce:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. For the tomato sauce, heat the oil in a heavy-based ovenproof pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently for a few minutes until softened, but not coloured.
3. Add the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, then season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Stir well, then transfer to the oven for six-eight minutes, until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened.

Cooking time: Less than 10 minutes

Method for pancakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Sift the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt.
3. Make a well in the centre and break in the eggs. Gradually whisk together, adding the milk a little at a time to make a smooth batter.
4. Grate the courgettes and stir into the batter.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add spoonfuls of the courgette batter. Cook for two-three minutes, or until tiny bubbles begin to form on the surface and the underside of the pancakes are lightly golden. Turn over and cook for another one-two minutes, until cooked through and lightly golden.
6. To serve, place the courgette pancakes onto warmed plates and spoon over the tomato sauce.